Chesterton swimming coach Kevin Kinel called Blake Pieroni’s gold medal a dream come true.
The day after watching her son swim his way to an Olympic gold, Cathy Pieroni took it a step further.
“It’s better than a dream,” she said.
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Blake Pieroni was part of the United States’ men’s 400-meter freestyle relay team. The former Chesterton star and current Indiana University swimmer finished his leg in 48.39 seconds during Sunday morning’s preliminary race in Rio de Janeiro.
The U.S. won its preliminary heat and qualified second overall in 3 minutes, 12.28 seconds to set up the team of Ryan Held, Michael Phelps, Nathan Adrian and Pieroni’s Olympic roommate Caeleb Dressel for the final. The U.S. took gold in 3:09.92.
“When it’s actually going on, you’re in the moment,” Cathy Pieroni said. “But then after I sat back and realized what just happened, I couldn’t be prouder of my kid. You always dream about it, but it’s real. He’s been thinking about this for 10 years.”
Cathy Pieroni will never forget the look on her son’s face after the race.
“From across the pool, I yelled at him from the bleachers,” she said. “I could tell by his face that he was absolutely thrilled. He got choked up when the guys did their walk around the pool after the medal ceremony.”
Kinel is at junior nationals in Minneapolis with Chesterton swimmer Gary Kostbade. He exchanged texts with Pieroni throughout the day on Sunday.
“He was in such a good mood obviously, so happy that he came through,” Kinel said. “I’m so proud of him. Next time I see him, I’ll see an Olympic gold medalist. I can’t even put it into words.”
According to Kinel, Chesterton plans to honor Pieroni at a football game this fall. Kinel hopes to have him speak to the swim club and high school team to share stories and tips.
“It’s big stuff,” Kinel said. “Slowly but surely, we knocked on the door at state and nationals, and now we’ve had one come through and be a part of a gold medal relay in the Olympics. It’s hard to fathom.”
NBC Olympic swimming commentator Rowdy Gaines listed Pieroni as the key to the preliminary relay, and praised him for his performance during the broadcast.
“Think about all the pressure that’s there,” Kinel said. “But Blake has always been one that’s never satisfied. For him to come through is right in character. He’s a big-meet swimmer.”
Cathy and Blake’s father, Christopher Pieroni, didn’t get their luggage until Sunday night after flying in Saturday morning, but otherwise they’ve had no issues during their trip to Rio.
“There’s tons of poverty around the airport and a little bit away from the Olympic park, but we’ve not had any problems,” Cathy said. “All of the Uber drivers have been wonderful. We have Google translator, so that’s wonderful. Our hotel is very nice and the food has been good.”
Social media exploded with messages of support from friends, family members and former teammates. One friend asked Cathy if she could buy Blake Pieroni swim gear.
“It’s a huge hurdle for our program,” Kinel said. “Now others can aspire to do the same thing and realize that you don’t necessarily have to come from a big town to do big things. If you work hard and you believe, it’s possible. That’s the message that Blake has had, without saying a word.”
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.